Seeing Like a State
James C. Scott
33 people recommended it in 10 threads, 2015–2024.
What people on Hacker News said
It is a beautiful book in that it illustrates how difficult it is to actually manage a country and economy well, especially if you are trying to completely change it (i.e., "develop" it, solve poverty, etc.).
“Seeing like a state” taught me what high modernism is and it’s pitfalls (since I - and I imagine many readers of HN - are already familiar with its strengths and achievements e.g. modern medicine).
top down control of a system always clashes with bottom up understanding, so experts in a field need humility when working with a new system and need to learn from the people who work with it every day.
This is oldish (1999) but full of interesting information about failed attempts at managerial systems.
The reduce of population is not the effect of the policy, but the effect of economic growth. It would have happened without the policy.
If I wanted to stop people from having children I would promote hookup culture, feminism and economically reward unstable families.
Decision-makers must rely on simplified models to make their decisions. All schemata are by nature imperfect representations of reality.
Where it comes up
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- Ask HN: Books you read in 2015? 2015 · 2 recommendations
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- Ask HN: What book changed your life? 2022 · 1 recommendation
- Ask HN: What, in your opinion, are the greatest and most useful textbooks? 2020 · 1 recommendation
- Ask HN: Books you read in 2018? 2018 · 1 recommendation
- Ask HN: What books are you currently reading? 2018 · 1 recommendation